About Me

This blog is my blissful journal of happiness. It’s about everything I adore and people I love. Thanks for stopping by. If you would like to write me, please feel free to email me: diana.mieczan@hotmail.comHave a jolly good day!

Darlings, how do you commute? Do you drive, take the subway, brace the city on foot or maybe cycle? Since Balazs and I don't drive, we mostly walk or bike. Sadly, over the winter my beloved bike-basket got stolen, so I'm on a hunt for a new one. I've been looking around and I have the hardest time deciding which one I fancy the most or if I should get one at all this time around.

They all seem perfect, especially this bike porter or this little basket. So, I'd love to ask your advice: do you have a basket? What kind? Or maybe they are not your thing? xo

What's your favourite time of the day? Balazs lives for dusk. Yup, he loves those twinkling 12 to 14 minutes when the sky changes colours, gets gloomier, calmer and truly peaceful. Want to know my little secret? Well, whenever I notice that Balazs needs a tiny pick-me-up at the end of the day, I check this nifty little website for the precise time of dusk occurrence that day and surprise him with a relaxing stroll during that exact time. It gets him every single time!

The photos above are of the mesmerizing San Francisco at dusk. Aren't they beautiful? xo

Oh my goodness, hands up if you (on occasion) treat yourself to a spoonful of Nutella straight out of the jar. If you are a Nutella-nut like I am, hold on to your chair as I'm about to blow your mind - giggle. The cake above is made only from Nutella and eggs. That is correct - only 2 ingredients! My friend Magda sent me the recipe last night saying: "it's time to hit the gym more often as I can't stop making them". Yowza, I'm so trying it tonight, you? xo
P.S: Fancy more? How about Nutella buns, Nutella fudge, Nutella French toast and French Nutella croissants? Yum!
P.P.S: How to make homemade Nutella.

Ha, did you know that Beijing has its own Central Perk café?
Yup, the exact same as on the set of Friends! A little over two years ago a
huge fan of the show opened this awesome gem in downtown Beijing. He spent
countless months going through thousands of photos from the show’s Central Perk
set so he can recreate the true vibe of this special spot. He was so inspired
that he even got the same type of sofa, the signature oversized cups and even
the bicycle outside the shop. Du’s aim was so create a chill out place for
friends to hang out, enjoy each other’s company and appreciate the awesome bond
they share.

Pretty brilliant, don’t you think? Are you fan of the show? Now I wish I could fly
to China just so I can check out this gem in person, you? Have you ever been there
or maybe you were lucky enough to take a tour of the Friends set? xo

Fancy a little March challenge? Well, a few days ago four of
our couple-friends including Balazs and I agreed that March will be all about
simple romance. We’ve been talking about
going back to basics and trying to make 2013 all about simple pleasures so we
are finally taking the plunge.

The rules are simple: one evening a week instead
of going out for a dinner or drinks, we will stay in, turn off our phones and cook
together something easy but scrumptious. We will drink wine, listen to music
and eat at a candle lit table. The most important thing: no work talk. That
evening should be all about goofy chat, belly laughs like those we used to have back in the
day and lipstick stained glasses:) Are you game?xo

Do you ever forget to drink during winter? Yikes, it happens
to me all the time and then by the end of the day I feel super dehydrated and
very thirsty.It’s one of the simplest
things to remember but somehow it’s the last thing on my mind during busy days.
So the other week Balazs suggested that I should try jazzing up my plain water
with some fruity ice cubes to make drinking more appealing. And you know what,
it worked! So far I tried: pomegranate + coconut stripes, lavender and mint, flower petals + mint (I love rose petals the most), blood orange juice cubes, thyme + rosemary + basil, kiwi + strawberry, lime + lemon zest.

What I do is make a bunch of different combinations and let
them chill in the freezer. Each day depending on what water flavour I’m in a
mood for, I pop a few ice cubes into my water bottle and I am ready to roll.

How do you stay hydrated? Any other yummy combinations? I'd love to try them... xo

Crikey, I always knew that Scotland is awesomely cool and
full of hidden gems but after spotting those adorable ponies, Shetland just
topped my travel wish list! Those two cuties named Fivla and Vitamin look super
cozy in their Shetland woolies, don't you think? They were chosen to represent the Year of Natural Scotland - fancy! (giggle).

Have you ever been to
Scotland? Would you like to? It's so dreamy there... xo

Pointy toes or round toes? It's a hard pick as I love them both but ever since last spring, I've been utterly smitten with pointy shape shoes and especially flats! Somehow they add that sassy chic feel to my step that other shoes can't. I adore pairing them up with rolled up pants, V-neck tees and blazers for last minute work meetings or dinner-dates. My friend Sofia says that they do the same to an outfit what red bright lipstick does to your lips - spot on! Oh, I can't wait to get this pair just in time for spring:)

Whenever I talk to friends about wearing bright lipstick, most
of us agree that our biggest worry is second-guessing ourselves if some of our
lipstick ended up on our teeth. I’m embarrassed to admit how often I used a restaurant
knife to check for smudges - things happen, right? Well, not necessarily. Recently
I overheard a lady saying that she uses Rosebud Salve to avoid lipstick faux-pas.
Yup, a lip balm :) Fancy knowing how? Well, you simply spread a tiny bit
of your Rosebud Salve on your top few teeth and you are set. Somehow the texture
prevents lipstick to smudge on your teeth and gives you one less thing to worry
about during those romantic date nights :)

There is something about stolen smooches that makes the world
jollier. The excitement, the anticipation and the butterflies when you know it’s
just about to happen.No matter where
the smooch sneaks up on you it’s always romantic but if it happens in Paris and an
amazing photographer accidently captures the moment, that is pretty darn
incredible, don’t you think?

Well, Peter Turnley is one of those brilliant photographers
who for the past 40 years has been strolling the streets of Paris capturing love. J’adore!

Aren’t those photos beautiful? Have you ever been to Paris?
Did you smooch someone special there? xo

P.S: Do you remember this famous kissing image by Robert Doisneau? In 1980 they used to work together.

Avocado
cake do or don't? What's your pick? Remember when a few months ago we talked about this nifty little butter substitute trick where you basically swap half of the required
butter with creamy avocado? Well, this phenomena totally changed the way I bake
and the fantastic thing is that it actually makes the cakes and cookies softer,
chewier and of course much healthier. The best part is that it truly doesn’t affect the
taste.

So,
today I have a treat for you that I'm dying to share: an avocado and poppy seed
cake! Yup, it’s green, it’s finger-licious and it's very healthy. It’s like a 2.0
of a traditional banana-loaf and all our friends agreed that it is one of the
creamiest, sweetest and beautifully fluffy cakes they ever tasted. So, let’s
dig in. You’re game? Would you try it? xo

Preheat
oven to 340°F (or 160°C). In a medium bowl mix together the soft butter, the
sugar, the avocados and the lemon juice. Stir until well combined. Next,
separate the egg whites from the yolks. Mix in the yolks one by one and in
another bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff and set them
aside. Next, add the flour, the baking soda and the poppy seeds to the batter.
Mix well and then fold in very gently the egg whites. Pour into the prepared pan
and bake for about 50 minutes but make sure the top doesn’t burn. If it gets
too dark, just cover with foil and return to oven.

Next,
while your cake is in the oven, place one little avocado into the food
processor and process until creamy. Next add the lemon juice and the icing
sugar and blend until totally smooth.
After
the cake is ready, let it cool off for a few minutes and then cut it in half
lengthwise and fill it with the icing. If you have some of the icing left, you
can also spread it on the top of the cake or you can simply sprinkle some
powder sugar on top instead. Ta dah!

What do you say about starting this Monday morning with some cuteness overdose? Well, as soon as I spotted this adorable twosome last night, I couldn't stop aww-ing for the rest of the evening.

This sweet mom's Instagram is filled with photos of her son and his best pal - the cute French Bulldog. They live in Tokyo and they seem to be inseparable, don't they? They eat together, nap together and even watch telly together. What a perfect pair!

Cheers to Friday, lovelies! What are you up to this weekend?
Will you be watching The Oscars? Balazs and I are pretty excited for Sunday and
crossing our fingers for a few favourites.Loves, have a cozy next two days and as
always here are a few links for your weekend-blog-hopping-fun. Enjoy!

Have you ever tried growing flowers in tiny bottles
and jars? A few weeks ago this little post gave me the final nudge to try
growing my own Paperwhites. I’ve never grown them before and certainly not in
adorable little bottles but hey, it was time to get brave and so far so good, but
I can’t wait for them to blossom. So if you fancy giving it a go too, here are the step-by-step instructions.

Fun fact: if you get your bulbs drunk by adding alcohol to
the water you can stunt the growth of the stems. Ha, who knew, right?

Whenever I look at a lighthouse I get utterly enchanted by
it. They seem to hide so many mysteries and almost burst with romance,
would you agree? Well, this little Round Island Light House is not an exception.
It’s been part of Michigan since 1895
when it was first lit. Yup, a whopping 118 years ago!Wouldn’t you love to pause your week and
spend a few days just getting lost in all that calmness, stillness and the beautiful
nothingness? I totally would – swoon!

Have you ever been to a lighthouse before? How about this
one? Are there any around where you live? xo

It is no secret that I love ooye-gooey dippy eggs and I
can honestly say that I would choose them over the most scrumptious pastry any time. Having said that, they can be a bit of a pain to make but after years of
hits and misses I finally got a hang of them :)

Fancy knowing the secret? You simply steam them. Yup, it’s
that easy. All you have to do
is bring a 1/2-inch of water to boil before placing your eggs (any number
you want) in the pot. Then lower the temperature to medium and cover it.
Next, set the timer for 6 or 6 ½ minutes (depending on how runny you want them to
be) and voila! Run your eggs under cold water to cool off and you’re ready to
dig in. They came out perfectly dippy and runny every time!

Today’s giveaway is from an incredible artist and my dear friend, Sima Gilady. Her boutique is full of beautifully unique, personalized and hand-stamped jewelry that will make you feel snazzy and sassy each time you wear it. I owntwo of her necklaces that I rarely part with:)

For a chance to win you should be a follower of exPress-o, please visit the SimaG shop and tell us which piece is your favourite from the shop and /or which necklace would you choose. As always the giveaway is open worldwide. The winner will be chosen at random on Sunday night. Good luck! xo